LESSON XLIII.
THE GRAVE.
John, xix. 38 to end. Luke, xxiii. 55, 56. Matthew,
xxvii. 60.
There was one rich man who loved Jesus; his name was Joseph (not Mary’s husband, this was another Joseph); he had a garden, and in the garden he had made a grave: perhaps he meant to be buried there himself when he came to die.
But now Joseph thought, I should like to put the Lord Jesus in my grave. It was a very nice grave, and no one had ever been put there yet.
So Joseph went to Pontius Pilate, and said, I want the dead body of Jesus: may I take it down from the cross, and keep it myself?
And Pilate said, Yes, you may have it.
Then Joseph was glad. He bought some nice white clean linen. What do you think that was for? To wrap Jesus in. And he bought some spices (sweet-smelling things that grow out of the ground), and he brought some men with him, and they took the nails out of Jesus’ hands and feet, and, took his body down from the cross. Then Joseph wrapped a cloth round his head, and another cloth round his waist, and he put sweet spices on him; and then some men carried him along to Joseph’s garden.
In the garden there was a high place called a rock, and a hole in the rock, like a hole in a wall; and they walked into this large dark hole, and they laid Jesus down quite alone. Now he was at rest; he felt no pain, no sorrow: the wicked people were not near; and there lay the Lord in his quiet grave. The men took a very large stone and stopped up the hole, so that nobody could get in. No beast, no bird, could touch the Lord Jesus. There were trees and flowers near him in this sweet garden, and there were angels there watching over him, though no one could see them.
Where were the poor women who loved Jesus?
They had been looking at him on the cross. How they must have cried when they saw him bleed, and heard him cry out to God!
The poor women had seen the men take him down from the cross. They had followed the men into the garden; they had seen him put so carefully in his grave.
They said to each other, Let us get more spices, and make sweet ointment to put on the Lord Jesus.
Joseph had put some spices, but they wanted to put more. So they went home and made nice ointment.